Leo
On Thursday, Pope Leo
Leo repeated many of the concerns of his predecessor Pope Francis and called for the protection of refugees, victims of climate disasters, the unemployed and the exploited. León called for “dialogue” in Latin America amid the escalation of the U.S. naval war there and better care for migrants “crossing the American continent.” And he called for “respectful” dialogue in Europe as leaders in Ukraine seek peace.
Speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where he appeared after his election as pope in May, Leo encouraged his listeners to develop a strong sense of personal responsibility.
“If each of us at all levels, instead of blaming others, would first recognize our own mistakes and ask God for forgiveness, while at the same time putting ourselves in the shoes of those who suffer and standing in solidarity with the weakest and most oppressed, then the world would change,” he said.
As with all of his public appearances, León’s use of his influential pulpit has been closely watched for comparisons to Francis, who died in April at the age of 88. As the first pontiff of the United States, León has also faced scrutiny over his relationship with his homeland and that nation’s role as a global superpower.
Francis was a gregarious presence on the world stage, often directly confronting those he believed had deviated from the principles of Roman Catholicism. He was not afraid to openly criticize President Donald Trump’s policies and faced strong opposition from some American Catholics who described themselves as conservatives.
Temperamentally, the new pope is more level-headed and determined than Francis, analysts say, although León has also questioned some of Trump’s policies and views.
In his Christmas address, which he addressed to the thousands of people gathered in the square at his feet amid a drizzle, León did not mention any particular world leader by name. But amid the Trump administration’s naval campaign off the coast of Venezuela, León said he hoped that “those with political responsibilities in Latin America” would find the space to engage in “dialogue for the common good” rather than for “ideological and partisan exclusions.”
León also reiterated Francis’ concern for those most affected by the ravages of climate change, particularly those in South Asia and Oceania who have been “severely affected by recent and devastating natural disasters that have severely affected entire populations.”
León said that as Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, they should remember that he “accepted poverty and rejection and identified with those who are marginalized and excluded.”
Earlier on Thursday, during a Christmas mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope urged the crowd gathered inside not to avert their eyes from “the tents of Gaza, exposed for weeks to the rain, the wind and the cold, and those of so many other displaced people and refugees on every continent, or in the makeshift shelters of thousands of homeless people in our cities.”
León spoke as the war in Ukraine continues and a ceasefire has still not been reached. On Tuesday, the pope told reporters that he felt “great sadness” because “Russia appears to have rejected the Christmas ceasefire request.”
Analysts say the pope’s comments during Christmas week reflect a delicate balancing act.
“He tried to carefully consider how much he should insist on decisions made by American politicians,” said Nicholas Hayes-Mota, a social ethicist and political theologian at Santa Clara University in California. Despite the points of tension between Trump’s plans and León’s stance on migration, environmental protection and cooperation between nations, the pope “does not want to be read simply as an anti-Trump or opposition voice,” Hayes-Mota said.
Although León began his papacy more cautiously, he has recently become more outspoken on issues affecting politics. In October, at a private meeting with a group of Catholics in El Paso, Texas, the pope urged American bishops to strongly support migrants as Trump intensified his deportation campaign. A month later, the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States issued a strong statement opposing the Trump administration’s “indiscriminate” mass deportation campaign.
This week, León weighed in on a policy decision in his home state when he expressed disappointment that Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois signed a law allowing terminally ill patients to end their lives with the help of doctors.
Among foreign critics who see Trump as an unpredictable actor on the world stage, many look to the pope to provide an alternative American voice.
Europeans, whose leaders watched with dismay as Trump openly denigrated longtime allies, “have an expectation that this American pope will say something about how the Vatican feels about this radical restructuring of transatlantic relations,” said Massimo Faggioli, a theology professor at Trinity College Dublin.
León has started to show his cards. When the Trump administration this month appeared to exclude Europe from negotiations over a Ukraine peace plan, the pope made statements to reporters suggesting he disagreed with it. “Striving for a peace agreement without, for example, including Europe in the conversation is not realistic,” he said. He also appeared to reference Trump’s mockery of Europe, warning that “they are trying to dismantle what I think should be a very important alliance today and in the future.”
And in his Christmas address, León prayed that “the parties involved, with the support of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue” in the peace negotiations in Ukraine.
“Maybe I’m overinterpreting it,” Faggioli said, “but I think it’s a subtle message” to the Trump administration “and its envoys.”
In the Vatican, León has taken a more conciliatory stance. In his first Christmas message to the heads of the Vatican’s various departments this week, León appeared to be a less perceptive boss than Francisco. The former pope was known for accusing the Vatican hierarchy of a narcissistic “pathology of power” and warning that people who spread gossip are “more likely to be enemies of peace.”
In his statements on Monday, León also acknowledged that “some dynamics associated with the exercise of power, the desire for excellence and concern for one’s own interests are difficult to change.” But he also expressed his “deep gratitude” and said that “the work of each individual is important for the whole.”
León “believes in all of Francis’ messages,” said Bradford Hinze, a theologian at Fordham University in New York. “But try to make it more compelling for the people you’re trying to persuade.”
Josephine de La Bruyère contributed reporting from Rome.
Motoko Rich is the Times’ Rome bureau chief and covers Italy, the Vatican and Greece.
Josephine de La Bruyère contributed reporting from Rome.
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